Drew Daniels: Fertility from Fire
By Mālielani Larish Everything is perfect; everything is aligning, Drew Daniels thought to himself. Gazing at soft morning clouds framing a gold-dazzled ocean, he gently rocked his baby girl to the rhythm of cane grass dancing in the wind. Two…
Hawaii Tropical Botanical Garden: Restoring and Protecting Hawai‘i Island’s Biodiversity
By Brittany P. Anderson The isolation of Hawai‘i Island, surrounded by the Pacific Ocean and born of volcanic lava flows from the ocean’s floor, shaped the biodiversity of the island. Our unique position makes the Island of Hawai‘i one of…
Managing with Aloha: Ho‘ohana Isn’t Job. It’s Joy. Live a Good Life with Great Work.
Series 3 on Managing with Aloha, Bringing Hawaii’s Universal Values to the Art of Business. Third in Series Three on Managing with Aloha. By Rosa Say As its intrinsic nature and defining characteristic, Managing with Aloha is our philosophy for…
The Road to Recovery Began with a Road
By Stefan Verbano A side of the perched lava channel fed by Fissure Eight collapses, sending a river of pāhoehoe barreling northeast through Leilani Estates toward Puna Geothermal Venture (PGV). By the evening of May 29, 2018, the breakout flow…
Sailing into the Future: Nā Pe‘a Participants Apply Canoe’s Lessons to Life
By Sara Stover “Stay off the rocks,” Kalani Nakoa instructs his young crew. The wind is light out of the west as they launch one of the three 26-foot single-hull canoes from Kīholo Bay. Within minutes, the wind shifts to…
Mālamalama and Kona Pacific Celebrate 100 Years of Waldorf Education
By Karen Rose On September 19, 2019, Waldorf education proudly marked its 100-year anniversary worldwide. The first Waldorf school was founded in Stuttgart, Germany in 1919 and is based on the educational philosophy of Austrian social reformer, Rudolf Steiner. Today…
Mālama Mokupuni—Caring for Our Island Environment: Mauna Loa Observatory’s Keeling Curve Reveals Carbon Dioxide Rise to the World
By Rachel Laderman For more than 60 years, at a station perched at 11,000 feet on Mauna Loa, researchers have been meticulously collecting data that has changed our relationship to the earth. Based on their work, we have learned that…
Ka Wehena: Kalaniana‘ole
Na Kumu Keala Ching Kaulana mai nei a‘o Kona Kona i ka malu o HualālaiLā ē, Lā ē, Lā ē La‘i‘ōpua ēHe ‘Āina Ho‘opulapula kō Kona Ma ka ‘āpana o Keala o ka hēLā ē, Lā ē, Lā ē La‘i‘ōpua…
Tong Wo Society’s Historic Kapa‘au Building Opens Once a Year
By Ma‘ata Tukuafu Situated high on a hill in Kapa‘au is a colorful historical building constructed by early Chinese immigrants in 1884. Called the Tong Wo Society building, it served several purposes: a spiritual Taoist gathering place, a meeting house…
The Meditative Nature of Carving Stone
By Karen Valentine Kapono For sculptor Fred Soriano, it’s a working partnership with the stone sculpture he is crafting that is both difficult and peaceful. Contemplating his creations, you get that impression yourself. Where did that stone come from and…
Mission. Quest. Obligation. Love affair. Award-Winning Photographers on Hawai‘i Island
By Catherine Tarleton Daredevils, geologists, surf and ski bums, travelers, divers, authors, artists, and poets with pictures, Hawai‘i Island’s award-winning photographers are known around the world. These intrepid souls will go—sometimes literally—to any heights and depths to capture their spectacular…
Keiki Garden and Grindz: Fruit Leather Recipe
By Brittany P. Anderson Some kids just don’t like vegetables. As the stepmother to a child who consistently picked tomatoes out of tomato sauce, I had to get creative. Hiding nutrient-rich veggies in smoothies, breads, and sweets was a weekly…
‘Iolani Luahine Festival Honors and Perpetuates Hula Tradition
By Tiffany DeMasters ‘Iolani Luahine was more than just a hula dancer—she was a storyteller and teacher who shared and perpetuated the traditions of ancient Hawai‘i. “It was like at times she became whatever she was dancing. You could really…
North Hawai‘i Research Center’s Heritage Center: Cultural Community Connections
By Jan Wizinowich Through the vision of a community to preserve and share the stories of the land and its people, the Heritage Center (HC) came into being in 2011. Hawai‘i Island’s story begins with its settlement by a people…
A Fabled Fruit Orchard and Apple Crisp Recipe
By Brittany P. Anderson Along the side of Maunakea in the Hilo Forest Reserve is an old orchard. Sitting at 6,000 feet elevation, the Keanakolu orchard, also called the Humu‘ula orchard, is a remnant of a bygone era. The twisted,…
Growing a Sustainable Future on Hawai‘i Island
By Stefan Verbano David Reppun walks barefoot along the mounded rows of taro. He stops at a full-grown hedge of the broad-leafed Polynesian staple, announces its variety name, and leans into the mass of green, selecting a stem and bending…
Art Runs in the Family
By Karen Rose The familiar saying, “the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree,” is true for one talented artistic family living on the island of Hawai‘i. Maya Sorum worked as the resident artist at Mauna Lani Resort for 36…
Aircrete: A Versatile DIY Building Material
By Mālielani Larish Adopting a yoga tree-pose, Stefanie Fisher effortlessly holds an aircrete block skyward. Surrounded by the model aircrete home that she is helping to build, the sunlight streaming in through the dome’s atrium illuminates her smile. “Here, try…
‘Tis the Season to Share More Aloha
By Karen Rose The celebratory season is upon us, and nothing brings out community generosity like the spirit of the holidays. Sharing aloha is a year-round activity in Hawai‘i; however, there’s something special about winter celebrations that compel us to…
The Gift of Trees: Hilo Nursery Arboretum
By Brittany P. Anderson In the heart of Hilo, between the old downtown and new city center, sits the Hilo Nursery Arboretum. As cars bustle along Kīlauea Avenue, a chicken shuttles her chicks to gather under the shade of one…
Maka Gallinger: A Performer with a Purpose
By Tiffany DeMasters For singer-songwriter Maka Gallinger, it’s not about the number of shows she books, but the message she spreads through her music. Born and raised in South Kona, Maka has been surrounded by music her entire life. She…
The Hidden Power and Tradition of Oli
By Karen Valentine Kapono Just imagine a sophisticated culture whose history and daily news was never written down, only spoken. This is a story about oli, or Hawaiian chant, the Hawaiians’ chosen method of all communication. It was never intended…
Tutu’s House: Celebrating 25 Years of Community, Health, and Wellness
By Jan Wizinowich Nowhere is the aloha spirit of the Waimea and Hawai‘i Island communities more evident than at Tutu’s House. Dropping by on any given day, one can find a constant flow of activities where community members are making…
How One Boy’s Wish Benefits Thousands: The Jonathan Dale Miller Foundation
By Fern Gavelek A nine-year-old boy has left a legacy that’s been helping Hawai‘i Island’s needy families since 1999. To date, the Jonathan Dale Miller Foundation has personally touched approximately 4,000 families, affecting 15,000 underprivileged keiki (children) and 500 kūpuna…
Ladies of Aloha: K.T. Cannon-Eger and Dinnnie Kysar
By Marciai Timboy “When ordinary people decide to do extraordinary things, they transform their lives and the lives of others around them.” —Oprah Winfrey Daily, Hawai‘i Island residents and visitors engage in diverse activities in beautiful settings. While they enjoy…
Ka Wehena: Nani Wale ‘O Hualālai
Na Kumu Keala Ching ‘Ae, Nani Wale ku‘u ‘ike ‘O Hualālai Nani Wale ku‘u ‘ike ‘O Hualālai Kaulana kō Kona iā Hawai‘iloa ‘Ohu‘ohu o ‘uka lei ‘Ōpua ē Wewehi ka nani, kau mai i luna Hihia ka mana‘o, lei maile…
Perpetuating Hula Lineage: Moku O Keawe International Hula Festival
By Marcia Timboy “Nana i ke kumu,” advises a famous Hawaiian proverb, “Pay attention to the source.” For hula practitioners, this can allude to the obvious, “Watch what your kumu [teacher] does.” The kuleana (responsibility) of hula tradition holds the…
Managing with Aloha: The Aloha Spirit in Business
By Rosa Say Infusing the Aloha Spirit into the world of business starts at the beginning. The earliest germination of what would become Managing with Aloha as a workplace philosophy, began with my personal quest to infuse the Aloha Spirit…
Mālama Mokupuni—Saving Our Island Environment: Can We Protect ‘Ua‘u, The Hawaiian Petrel?
By Rachel Laderman Imagine gazing out over the Hawaiian ocean to a sky darkened by swirling seabirds. That was the view, thousands of years ago. Many of those species are extinct today, while others fight for survival. ‘Ua‘u, the federally…
Stan Kaina: The Voice that Connected to the Aloha in Us All
By Sara Stover Hula dancer Pi‘ilani Rodrigues of Hilo passed by the enduring trees of Banyan Drive, their roots descending from thick branches towards the ground below. Heavenly music floated out of Uncle Billy’s Hilo Bay Hotel, carried into the…
